Prologue
The Dicey Odds Bookmaker's Office, one of the many enablers of the City's gambling addiction. Places like these let you bet on all sorts of sports: from baseball to football to boxing. Droves of wannabe fortune tellers frequent bookmakers, eager to show off how well they can predict the future. But things hardly ever go their way - and the bookmakers are more than happy to collect from the sour grapes.
This wasn't the first time I visited one of these places. They're legitimate businesses on paper, but it's the things that happen under the table here that hide from the long arm of the law. And believe me, these places have large tables. Quite a few of my old cases brought me to places like these.
However, this was the first time I was walking into one without a gun or a badge. And if what Bloop was saying earlier was true, then Irys' red-eared savior operates this office.
Kiara and I decided to split up.
So, I pretended to be another gambler and approached the storefront. As for Kiara, she took the long way around, looking for a gamewell telephone. Subaru should still be working her shift.
We have to know what we're getting into.
Got that, Kiara?
…
Kiara tilted her fedora hat - a quiet signal to Ame. With that, Ame disappeared into the bookmakers' office and Kiara carried on around the strip mall.
The Phoenix looked over her shoulder and stole glances of Bloop and the Shrimp chauffeur across the street in their car.
They're really keeping an eye on us , huh?
Kiara buried her hands in her coat pocket and walked briskly around the strip mall. She turned the corner away from Bloop's prying eyes but waited to make sure she wasn't being followed. Once the coast was clear, she jogged over to a nearby gamewell telephone, opened the box and made a call.
"Takanashi. Badge 1-0-1-4-0."
Kiara heard paper shuffling from the other end of the line. It was almost like the operator wasn't familiar with her quite yet. After a few more flips of the page, the operator finally answered her pleasantly.
" How can I help, detective? "
"Please connect me to the office of Doctor Ninomae from Forensics."
" Understood. Patching you through now. "
Well, that was quicker than I thought. Was Ame-senpai the only one they're giving a hard time to?
Kiara frowned until the transfer was complete. The familiar, tired voice of Dr. Ninomae answered her.
" Doctor Ninomae. Forensics. "
"Good afternoon, Ina-senpai." Kiara spoke brightly, "I hope you're doing well!"
" Ah, Kiara. I'm doing fine - thanks. " Ina spoke in a more relaxed tone now, " What do you need? "
"What can you tell me about the Dicey Odds Bookmaker's Office?" Kiara asked.
" Dicey Odds, huh? " Ina started. Kiara heard filing cabinets cluttering about on the other end of the line. Moments later, Ina returned to the phone and revealed, " Dicey Odds is a chain of sports betting establishments made up of multiple independent entities that joined together three years ago - right about when the Shrimps and the Deadbeats divided the city between themselves. They operate in all districts of the city with about ten branches: five in the North, four in the South and one in Central. It has a subsidiary called the Rail-Road Amusement Train company or 'RRAT' which operates a casino train. "
"Casino train, huh?" Kiara hummed, "So Baelz Hakos owns Dicey Odds?"
" That is correct. "
"Well, that complicates things…" Kiara furrowed her brow. She looked around the street for signs and asked, " Can you tell me anything about the Dicey Odds branch on the corner of Ocean Street and Tasmania Way? "
" Ocean Street and Tasmania Way…? " Ina confirmed, " That location is Dicey Odds' registered headquarters in their financial statements. It's likely that Miss Hakos runs the whole show from there. Other than that, there's not much else to say. Dicey Odds and Miss Hakos are squeaky clean on our records. They have so much cash flow that they even pay their taxes early too. "
"I see. Thanks, Ina-senpai."
" No problem, Kiara. Anytime. "
Kiara set down the phone and closed the box. She sought answers from Ina but left with only more questions and suspicions.
Would a company as successful as that 'forget' to pay protection money to the Shrimps? And why would someone rolling in cash want to attack the Queenpins' lieutenants in the Nephilim Club? Something's not right. We've got to get to the bottom of this.
The junior detective tried to go back the way she came but she saw Bloop and the chauffeur watching the front of the strip mall like hawks. Kiara didn't want to make them any more suspicious than they already were. She had to force her way through the back and meet up with Ame.
Kiara went back behind the strip mall and searched for the back door of the Dicey Odds office. It was at this time that she saw none other than Baelz Hakos chatting with a lady with a brown shawl behind what looked like an Army-surplus truck loaded with crates. Kiara saw Baelz give the owl-girl a suitcase and the two ladies shook hands.
The brown-shawled lady then hopped into the cab of the truck and started driving out of the strip mall's backlot. Kiara had to duck and hide behind a dumpster while the truck zipped dangerously close by. Unfortunately, she couldn't catch the truck's plate number in time - and Baelz Hakos had already stepped back inside the back entrance. In her stead, a rough-faced but well-dressed thug stood guard.
What the hell is going on here?
Left without a choice, she took a deep breath and approached him menacingly.
The thug's eyes shot towards Kiara and he grumbled, "What'cha doin' all the way back here, miss? Entrance is over at the front, so scram before I get mad!"
Kiara, however, didn't back down and stayed her course. The thug spat out his cigarette and raised up his fists.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, miss!" He growled and pulled back to throw a punch.
However, Kiara's pink eyes sharpened. She threw a quick high kick and struck the thug's jaw!
"Hurgh!" The thug groaned and plopped down to the ground on his back, unconscious.
Kiara scoffed and dragged the unconscious thug into the back door. She hid him in a broom closet and carried on towards the main betting floor.
It's just like my frogman days all over again.
As much as she would have liked to reminisce, Kiara carried on towards the main betting floor. She blended into the small crowd of gamblers, taking care to hide from the prying eyes of the well-dressed staff, and found Ame.
"Hakos Baelz is the owner of this place - and she's here." Kiara whispered. She then proceeded to tell Ame what Ina told her over the telephone - and what she saw in the back of the strip mall.
Ame paused for a moment and rubbed her chin. Then, she shook her head.
"This has to be retribution for what happened at the Nephilim Club." Ame deduced, "Bloop's not gonna let us go back empty handed. Gura's also expecting a good performance from us." Then, she frowned, "But we can't let Miss Hakos fall into Bloop's hands… and we can't endanger all of these civilians."
"Agreed." Kiara looked around. She counted twelve other gamblers on the betting floor, and three of Bae's staff behind the counter, "We'll have to disperse the civilians before we do anything."
"You have something in mind?" Ame asked, "We can't exactly say we're cops."
Kiara's eyes swept through the bookmaker's office and found a small red box mounted on the wall - a fire alarm. A devious smirk formed on her lips, "We just have to put on a show, right? I think I've got an idea."
The two undercover detectives whispered among themselves for a moment. Then, they set their plan into action.
Kiara sauntered over to the fire alarm and pulled it without hesitation. Alarm bells suddenly started ringing throughout the entire strip mall! Panic quickly gripped the crowd and the civilians started barging out the front door of the betting floor. Bae's staff, on the other hand, wondered what the hell was going on. Hakos Baelz herself also popped out of her office to see what all the commotion was about.
One of the staff members, a tall man in a black-and-white buffalo plaid suit with his nametag reading 'Alfie Gosling', saw Kiara and shouted, "What in the goddamn are you doing, you madlass!?"
The last of the civilians zipped out of the front door, leaving Ame and Kiara alone with the staff. Ame gulped and put on the most serious face she could muster. Then, the undercover detective spoke up and declared menacingly, "I'm Amelon and this is my partner Erika. We're with the Shrimps gang - and we're here to collect your protection payment!"
"Huh!?" Bae lashed out at Ame, "You're spinning your wheels here, miss. We paid you lunatics triple our fee last month! Who put you up to this? Bloop!?"
Kiara's stance softened for a moment. Bae knew that Gura's Lieutenant in particular had her on his hit list.
"I ain't sayin' nothing!" Ame continued speaking haughtily. Then, she gave her final warning, "If you don't want us to mess this place up, then cough up the dough! We don't have all day."
"Just the two of you?" Bae raised her brow. The rat-girl grabbed a baseball bat from behind the counter and growled, "We've got you two to one! You don't have your lousy fire axes either."
Ame and Kiara promptly took one of the betting tables and barricaded the front door. The two of them raised up their fists and faced their foes.
"Yeah? We don't need those axes to beat the crap out of you." Ame scoffed at Bae, "And now, you're trapped in here with us, dig?"
...
Queenpins
Rat Trap
...
To Be Continued